David Crown

Born Enfield. February 16, 1958.

David Crown was one of those lower league characters who make football worth living for the hundreds of thousands of people who spend their time following teams from outside the Premier League. His brash brand of flair and attitude made him a favourite with the fans at most of the places he passed through while his showmanship also assured him of abuse from opposing supporters.

To use the popular phrase he was a cult hero.

Crown did not find his way into the English Football League until he was 22. He had started in non-league football with Grays Athletic before moving on to Walthamstow Avenue. When third division Brentford paid £13,000 for his services the fee was split between his two former clubs.

Crown was a winger of good pace with a few tricks up his sleeve. He made a good enough impression to claim a regular place during his first season in professional football.

He scored on his senior debut in a 3-1 League Cup victory over Charlton Athletic and made his league debut against the same opposition on the following Saturday. This time it was 3-1 to Charlton at the Valley.

His first league goals came in a 3-0 victory at Blackpool and he ended the season with six to his credit, only one less than the Bees leading scorer Bob Booker as Brentford finished 9th.

This seemed an acceptable performance by both the player and the team so it was something of a surprise when Crown was allowed to leave for Portsmouth early on in the following season, a certain Chris Kamara heading in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

David Crown had already scored two goals in eight games for the Bees when he departed for the south coast. He could only equal that number in the 27 games he would go on to play for Pompey during the remainder of the season.

Although Portsmouth were going nowhere fast when David Crown arrived they would remain comfortably the biggest club he would play for and it is a pity he didn’t make more of an impact at Fratton Park.

In 1982-83 a few excellent signings would transform Portsmouth into a promotion winning side but unfortunately for Crown one of these newcomers, Alan Biley, would take his place and he would spend the season in the reserves. He did get out to Exeter for a month on loan and scored three times in seven games for a side at the other end of Division Three but it was not enough to force his way into a winning team at Fratton Park.

At the end of that season Crown was released on a free and he would go on to spend his days turning out for a series of generally struggling lower division outfits. He did so with great distinction, however.

David Crown had been used mainly as an out and out winger by Portsmouth but when he moved on he was given greater freedom and this allowed him to show that he was a fine goalscorer in his own right.

The team that took Crown was Reading. Towards the end of his first season at Portsmouth, Crown had played against the Royals in a 3-0 victory. Although he had been eventually substituted in that game he must have made an impression, as had a raw, young centre forward who had scored two of the goals on a rare outing, Trevor Senior. Reading took the pair of them to Elm Park in the summer of 1983 and the pair were outstanding as the Berkshire club won promotion from the fourth division at the first time of asking.

Crown was still mainly a provider and his service was consistently excellent. At this level he had too much pace and was also too clever for the vast majority of defenders. Senior was a strong, determined player and a capable finisher who fed voraciously on David Crown’s silver service. As Reading marched to promotion Senior netted 41 goals in all competitions. The pair continued to produce the goods as Reading then enjoyed a solid return to the third division.

Despite having been a virtual ever present in his two seasons at Elm Park and having established himself as a crowd favourite Crown was deemed surplus to requirements at the end of the 1984-85 season. His next stop was Cambridge United on a free transfer.

Crown had dropped back into Division Four by moving to the Abbey Stadium and he would spend the majority of his career at that level from now on. In truth, however, his career was just about to explode. Cambridge had just suffered two horrendous relegations and continued to struggle in the fourth division. They were lacking in confidence and class and would have been a sorry bunch without the arrival of David Crown.

Confidence and class were two things the winger had in abundance and in a way the lack of ability around him even helped Crown to shine. With the onus on him to deliver the goods Crown stepped up to centre stage with relish.

He assumed the responsibility not just to create chances but to hit the target himself gladly. Crown scored regularly throughout the season and was given a roving commission to try and maximise his involvement. The switch suited him down to the ground.

David Crown was quick enough to exploit any gaps left by the lumbering centre halves generally to be found at that level and he was clever enough to work openings for himself, an important attribute in this team.

Crucially he now showed himself to be a true goalscorer. He was reliable when presented with a chance and there was always the possibility of something spectacular out of nothing. His main threat was in running the channels, however. He would normally be first to anything played down the sides of the centre halves and he only needed a yard of space to display the power and the accuracy of his shooting.

At all times his bravado was there for all to see. He was the type of forward who would gladly goad the opposition defenders. He knew it would cost him a few kicks but reckoned it gave him the advantage. As often as not a defender looking to take him first and maybe the ball later would end up missing both.

David Crown was also adept and happy in winding up the opposition fans and his antics made him the target for abuse on many occasions. You sensed he thrived on the attention.

I recall a friend telling me the story of how he had travelled a couple of hundred miles for a midweek game at the Abbey Stadium and when Crown scored his second goal of the game to put Cambridge 2-0 up with a few minutes left, he had casually sauntered along the front of the visitors enclosure exclaiming “Bit of a wasted trip, lads!” in his best mockney accent.

At the end of the season, with Cambridge slumped in 22nd position in the table, David Crown had plundered 24 goals, a remarkable return.

The following season saw a more resolute Cambridge as some solid signings bolstered the defence and the midfield. Crown only scored steadily this time around but his partnership with the strapping youngster Mark Cooper offered plenty of promise.

Crown was now belatedly allowed the chance to impose his character on something resembling a cup run. He scored two of the goals as Cambridge overcame Orient 3-2 on aggregate in the 1st round of the League Cup. The U’s then managed to see off first division Wimbledon on away goals in the 2nd round before Crown struck again with the only goal of the game in round 3 to knock out Ipswich Town.

Crown and Cooper were then able to cause Spurs plenty of problems in the 4th round at a packed Abbey Stadium. The visitors had too much class in the end, however, and ran out 3-1 winners with both Clive Allen and Chrissy Waddle on target. Unfortunately one of the upshots of this game was Cooper’s eventual transfer to Tottenham and before the season was out Crown was left ploughing a somewhat lonely furrow up front.

Undeterred, David Crown then enjoyed the most prolific season of his career in 1987-88. He began in cracking form for Cambridge scoring 9 goals in 17 games before switching to third division Southend United.

Once again Crown was to excel in a struggling side and it was chiefly down to the new recruits’ 17 goals, from just 28 games, that the Shrimpers stayed clear of relegation.

The season after, however, even David Crown could not keep Southend up. While he banged in 25 league goals the next best contribution was six. When Crown scored both goals to give Southend a 2-1 win over Reading in mid April, their fourth victory in a row, they looked safe. One win from their final seven matches saw them slip into the last relegation position, however.

At least this allowed Crown the rare luxury of playing in a winning side in 1989-90. His goals carried Southend towards an instant return to the third division. It was a real battle for the last automatic promotion place but going into the final game Southend were the team in possession of the coveted spot. Victory at Peterborough United would guarantee promotion and David Crown was again the man to deliver, scoring both goals in a 2-1 win.

It is just as well he did as Stockport County, Maidstone United and Cambridge, the three teams that could have overtaken them, all won.

Crown also enjoyed another encounter with Tottenham that season. He became even more popular with the fans at Roots Hall by scoring three times in the 6-4 aggregate victory over Colchester United in the 1st round of the League Cup which set up a meeting with Spurs in round 2. Southend played two excellent games against the north London giants. They restricted them to a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane before beating them 3-2 at home in the return. Tottenham went through only on their away goals.

Having been so important in their promotion winning side it was very surprising to see Southend sell Crown to Gillingham before the start of the following season. £50,000 was the fee and despite being comfortably into his thirties this would prove money well spent.

Gillingham was a club at just about its lowest ebb when David Crown arrived and despite continuing to hit the net consistently the well travelled forward once again found himself trawling around the bottom half of the table. There was a slight improvement during Crown’s second season at the Priestfield and he was again the man chiefly responsible, hitting 22 goals as the Gills climbed to mid table.

1992-93 saw the club falter badly though with Crown available for less than half their games and struggling to find the net when he was fit. Gillingham only guaranteed their league status on the penultimate game of the season when they defeated Halifax Town at the Priestfield and although this allowed David Crown to quit league football on something approaching a happy note it would not have been the way he would have chosen to go out.

His quality was still in evidence for some seasons to come outside the league as Crown went on to represent Dagenham & Redbridge and Purfleet. He would also return to Southend United for a spell as assistant manager to Rob Newman.

Not the most illustrious of careers perhaps, but for the fans of the teams he represented, David Crown certainly provided entertainment, value for money and goals. While a cynic might point out that many of his clubs actually improved noticeably after his departure it is hard to complain about anyone who provides those three commodities.

David Crown’s Career Statistics
CLUB GAMES GOALS
Brentford FC 46 8
Portsmouth FC 28 2
Exeter City FC (Loan) 7 3
Reading FC 88 14
Cambridge United FC 106 45
Southend United FC 113 61
Gillingham FC 86 38
TOTAL 474 171